


Bestiae et Humanitates

by SummerSnowflake



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Because thats the only thing i have experience in, But its for one chapter, Dont read if you dislike violence, Fluff, Happy ending in the making, Hurt/Comfort, I lied its probably for two chapters, I said no warnings but, M/M, Other, im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-21 19:51:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11364441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerSnowflake/pseuds/SummerSnowflake
Summary: There are many things in the world people should be grateful for. Life, love, the gift of humanity. Some, however, live a cursed life. Death, disgust, torture. Torture is only a word-but with immeasurable meaning.Sanha learns how to overcome his greatest fear.[Dropped?]





	1. My Witness, the Moon

Dongmin looms over Myungjun with a grimace and impatience in his eyes. The young man’s eyes twitch when his senior’s hand falls off the desk and the pencil in his fingers rolls underneath the table. A soft snore rumbles through Myungjun’s nose. With a small gentle sigh, Dongmin softens his expression and the tenderness in his eyes and lips could have been seen by a blind man. He places his hands on Myungjun’s shoulders and leans down to the man’s ear.

“Myungjun, you have to go to bed,” he whispers as Myungjun shifts. “You can’t sleep here for the entire night.”

Myungjun lifts his head and yawns. “Too tired.”

“Myungjun,” Dongmin whines with a sigh, “you’re going to be sore in the morning if you do.”

“Can’t you carry me?” Myungjun mumbles. He doesn’t wait for an answer, however, because he knows that Dongmin won’t respond. A heaving sigh escapes his chest, and Myungjun pushes himself away from the desk. His desk is cluttered with papers, pens, markers, books, and a model of a human and a model of a dog. The models sit atop a rough sketches of a hybrid dog in human, partial, and complete form.

Myungjun stretches his arms and stands up from his chair. He pats Dongmin’s shoulder, muttering a good night, and yawns. He leaves Dongmin to the task of cleaning up the mess he made earlier that day. The younger man keeps his breath level as he closes his eyes out of exhaustion. “Let’s get to it then,” he mumbles, placing the strewn pencils and pens into a small container. He pays no attention to the angry scribbles on the corners of the papers and the impatient marks on the table. His hands only move the papers away and he scrubs away any stray streaks he finds. And in that way, the darkness falls and the sun rises without a sound from him.

* * *

“Minhyuk,” Myungjun steps into the living room with his hands on his hips dramatically, “you drank my last Cola. I’m throwing you out of this household.”

The boy scowls. “I didn’t drink it.” He enunciates every word as if each was a dagger. “And this technically isn’t a house,” he adds in a low whisper.

Myungjun walks over to the Minhyuk who lies on the couch carelessly. Minhyuk’s eyes gradually move upward, following the short man’s eyes. They both glare at each other in such menace that only Dongmin could break without having either of them explode. He comes to the rescue just seconds before Myungjun could have his morning episode and cause Minhyuk to give them the cold shoulder for the rest of the week. Truthfully Dongmin thinks that Minhyuk always wants to ignore them for at least a month, but both Dongmin and Myungjun know that it is impossible. But to save both of them from regret and embarrassing apologies, Dongmin has to interfere before either of them say something out of line because of the tension Myungjun raises.

“Myungjun, Minhyuk didn’t drink it,” Dongmin shakes his head disapprovingly. “You did last night when Minhyuk was already asleep and I was about to tell  _ you _ to go to sleep.”

“It’s not my fault I can’t remember,” Myungjun looks away.

“It is,” Dongmin says, “because you always take way too many naps that confuse your sense of time.”

Myungjun purses his lips and sighs softly, arms crossed over his chest. He finally looks back at Minhyuk. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have accused you.”

Minhyuk didn’t say anything until Dongmin glared at him impatiently. “I’m sorry for drinking your Colas in the first place, making you think I drank the last one.”

“Soulless! I couldn’t hear any emotion in that apology at all!” Myungjun huffs playfully. “I think I should throw you out anyway!”

Dongmin subtly shakes his head and rolls his eyes. He exits the living room into the hallway. As if Myungjun would kick Minhyuk out. He doesn’t have that kind of heart. Myungjun is weak for his “little brother”. Dongmin thinks that Myungjun would drop his entire life’s work just for Minhyuk if the boy was in trouble. Or me, Dongmin concludes. But Dongmin tells himself there would never come a day that would happen. They are safe here.

In the darkness of night, nobody would have ever noticed. They ravaged him, thinking it was for the better good. And he, thinking it would be best to run and never resist, turned into his creature form and began to dash away. But one of them had seen this and grabbed the end of his tail. Dangling like a dead fish, he stared at them in fear as the streetlights flickered on their faces. He realized he will be dead in the morning.

Cars drove by but no one looked back to ponder why three teenage boys were holding a raccoon dog by its tail. No one looked back to even think that the boys were doing the world a favor. No one looked back and helped the boys prick and break him. And even if they did, no one would have seen the fear and weakness in his night sky eyes, sparkling but dark.

They beat him. Broke him. Tore at his fur and at his ears. He felt blood run through his fur and onto his skin. His forelegs were broken. And when he tried to hiss out in pain, nothing spilled out because his chest hurt from being stepped on. The thumping of his heart was so loud, despite it pumping the last of his blood. Behind the pulsing was their shouts of terror and horror. Their eyes said it all--savageness and terrorization. But their mouths said even more.  _ Beast. Creature. Mother nature’s defect. Monster.  _ And so many other things, but he soon could not grasp any words. They kept on tearing apart his fur and his skin. But his heart hurt even more. And all he did was lie there in tears, knowing that their fear was reasonable… but sad. So he lay there in tears.

When they left, certain that he would be dead, his body hurt so much that he couldn’t shift. He lay there, staring up at his only witnesses. He was glad that at least the moon and stars knew. At least they would be grieving tomorrow. He closed his eyes, thinking that soon he would sigh his last breath. He thought that it was okay to be like this. In a cold and sufferable world, it was okay to die like this. Hot from the pain and cold from the wind on his bare skin, he thought that, even if he might have deserved a better life, it was okay to die like this. Alone in the dark, it was okay to die like this. In the end, it’s okay for him to die.


	2. Late Night Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA a stranger has a conversation with Dongmin. They realize they have much more in common than they thought, but some experiences still lie in mystery. Also, Dongmin is really attractive. But that's beside the point.

Minhyuk realizes that, no matter how much he and Dongmin fill up Myungjun’s heart, the man will still feel empty. Before, Minhyuk thought that Myungjun is upset over his work. Dongmin told him that it had nothing to do with his work.

“Then what is it?” Minhyuk asked. He watched Dongmin place his tea mug on the side table without glancing up from his book. Minhyuk felt vexed about Dongmin’s strange indifference towards Myungjun’s feelings. It was a strange air around him, and Minhyuk could not help but believe this was a different person.

“Myungjun is lonely,” Dongmin answered, flipping to another page. He sighed into the couch comfortably and readjusted his glasses under the warm light.

Minhyuk swallowed. “He has us,” he argued, certain that he was right. But why did Dongmin look so unfazed if Minhyuk was right?

Dongmin still looked down at the text, but his mind paused to find the right words. “He does have us,” he finally said a little over a whisper. “But Myungjun sees us as little brothers. It probably gets tiring for him, you know. You shouldn’t cause him a lot of trouble.”

The younger boy stared at the figure, curled up on the opposing couch all alone. Dongmin flipped through lazily, but intent on finishing the book. And Minhyuk wondered if Dongmin felt the same. Did Dongmin want a normal, actual friend? Then Minhyuk realized, after redirecting the question to himself, that they all did.

So when he hears the doorbell late at night, he remembers that no one has business here, so it must be the police interrogating them. (Which happens frequently, so Minhyuk does not panic at the thought.) He opens the door, thinking that no one on the other side is a friend to act cheerful for. But instead of a stern face, he comes in contact with a boy wearing a bulky backpack holding something covered by a jacket in his arms. The boy is nearly Minhyuk's age, judging by his young eyes filled with panic. Before Minhyuk could make any other assumptions, the boy steps inside immediately.

“Is Kim Myungjun here?” he breathes heavily. He holds the _something_ to his chest tightly and his lips tighten. “I- he needs help. He’s dead-dying. He's dying.”

Perturbed by the boy’s sudden entrance, but not at all by his plea for help, Minhyuk tells him to come in. He shuts the door and leads him to the circular lab behind locked doors. Without greeting, Dongmin appears from the supply closet.

“What's wrong, Minhyuk-” His eyes lock with the stranger’s then drop to the jacket in his arms. A small beat of silence falls and somehow Dongmin is already holding the _something._  “Minhyuk, get the health kit.”

He does not understand what is happening, but he puts his trust in Dongmin to fix the problem if he knows how to fix it. Minhyuk rushes to the bathroom, leaving the stranger alone with Dongmin. The stranger walks up to Dongmin, and the latter begins his interrogation.

“When did this happen?” he asks, pulling off the jacket, revealing a bloody raccoon dog’s body. His breathing stutters. He whispers something underneath his breath.

“I don't know,” the stranger mutters. “I just found him tonight, about an hour ago. I've been trying to find him since last night, though, so it could have happened then.”

Dongmin blinks as he studies the body. “You mean… he could have been out there like this for an entire twenty-four hours? Are you sure he's not dead?”

The stranger, though Dongmin couldn't tell because of his focus on cleaning the blood, is holding back tears. “He was breathing when I found him,” he answers through gritted teeth. The stranger waits for an analysis from Dongmin. Both of them stand there, staring at the body, but only one of them moves.

Dongmin pats away at the blood, all the while searching where the source is scarred on his body. He opens the raccoon dog's mouth and Dongmin exhales slowly. He places a hand on the chest and holds his breath. Hair falls into his eyes, but he does not move.

“He's alive.”

The stranger sighs unevenly out of relief. He blinks away stray tears and watches Dongmin place his free hand on the head softly.

“Can you help him?” the stranger asks. Dongmin looks up, they lock gazes.

They stand far apart, but the distance seems to be closing despite feet not moving. For a moment, thoughts on each other linger. Then Dongmin speaks up as Minhyuk walks into the room.

“Why did you help him? You’re not a hybrid.” Dongmin sounds accusing, but his eyes are curious.

The stranger pauses. “Not relevant. And too long of a story.” He shifts his weight then decides to get closer as Minhyuk walks up to them.

“Will he live?” Minhyuk wonders softly. He looks down at the small body, shaking from the cold.

“I think- he will. He'll live. Turn up the heat, Minhyuk. Then wake up Myungjun.” Dongmin takes the kit in Minhyuk’s hands and grabs disinfectant and bandages from inside.

Minhyuk leaves again, and the air is quiet. As Dongmin wraps broken legs and rib cage, the stranger watches. Dongmin’s hands move softly and gently, caring for the stranger lovingly. He speaks and the boy thinks he is talking to him, until the stranger realizes how quiet his voice is.

“How did you become like this? Who did this to you?” There is sadness in the way he speaks, lingering in the air like a smell. If the stranger could say his kindness smelled like anything, it smells a lot like a familiar scent, nearly unknown and overlooked. But it is familiar, and that makes the stranger smile subtly.

“Jinwoo never deserved this,” the stranger complains.

“Jinwoo,” Dongmin coos softly. He doesn't know how old Jinwoo is, but he can't help but hold him like his child.“Is he always like this?”

The stranger smiles even more from Dongmin’s soft words for Jinwoo. “Sometimes. But not this bad.”

“What's your name?” Dongmin asks after a while. His hands flit over Jinwoo’s leg carefully, and the stranger wonders how gentle his hands must be. “My name's Lee Dongmin, by the way. We should get to know each other if the both of you are staying here.”

The stranger blinks and sputters. “I'm Moon Bin. And... what do you mean I'm staying here? Isn't it just Jinwoo?”

Dongmin frowns. “Why would we keep Jinwoo here without someone he doesn't know?” Then he hesitates. He looks up apologetically. “You _do_ know him, right? I just assumed so, because of how you talked about him.” His cheeks are pink from sputtering so much.

Bin smiles faintly. “It’s not that big of a deal. And… I appreciate you helping us.” He grows second-hand embarrassment and feels a warmth in his cheeks and ears.

“You're… not a hybrid,” Dongmin digresses, “right?” He finishes dressing Jinwoo’s wounds and looks up, lips cutely pursed in a small line. A closer look, and Bin finds Dongmin's eyes to be a bit puffy and beautiful. He thinks that if he didn't coop himself in a lab all the time, Dongmin would definitely have a girlfriend.

“I'm not a hybrid,” Bin responds. “I've been friends with Jinwoo long before I knew he was one.”

“You're so loyal.” Dongmin smiles as if to praise him, but there is a certain sadness that twists Bin’s heart.

Bin decides that so many of his smiles for the past hour have not been genuine. Dongmin must have experienced some sort of terrible incident in the past. Bin wonders what it is. Orphaned, abandoned, bullied, abuse, or some other sort of torture?

“Dongmin,” Myungjun rushes into the lab and eyes meet his as he walks over, “is he okay? Did you bandage his wounds?”

“Yes,” Dongmin immediately replies. “Bin--he said that he could have been like this for an entire day.

Myungjun squeezes his eyes and bites his bottom lip. He examines Jinwoo’s body and Dongmin makes way for him. Bin stands next to Dongmin and they both breathlessly observe Myungjun’s flitting fingers.

“He'll be okay. Dongmin, you did a great job treating his wounds. He's still weak, though. He won't be able to turn soon. We'll find out in the morning if he can tell us anything. For now, we can rest.”

Bin nods, but Dongmin steps forward. “ _We_ meaning you too. Myungjun, you better not stay up all night to watch over him.”

Myungjun shakes his head. “Of course I won't.”

Dongmin raises a brow, then turns to Bin. “Let’s go. I'll show you to your room.” Dongmin leads Bin to the entrance then takes a left. He remembers to warn him about the other side.

“Don't go down the other hallway.” He sees Bin make a disturbed face. “You won't get hurt,” Dongmin reassures. “You might get lost, though. It's where Myungjun leaves his tools and instruments. There are way too many to count.” Dongmin laughs awkwardly at the sight of Bin’s worried face.

“Um… Are any of those instruments, uh, sharp?” Bin asks.

Dongmin figures out Bin’s worry over Jinwoo and reassures him once more. “Myungjun won't pull anything funny. He can pull his tricks, but he's one of the nicest people I've ever met.”

Bin nods in acceptance. He follows Dongmin through the hallway with the rooms to their left. Bin spots the kitchen first. It is small and not as modernized as the lab he previously inhabited. The bright plants in front of the window stick out like a sore thumb in the dull presence of the kitchen appliances and tabletops.

The next room is the living room, which is much bigger than the kitchen. There are two brown couches in Bin’s sight. One is against the open window letting in cool night air. The second couch is against the left wall and a bright floor lamp sits in the corner between the two couches. Plants sit atop shelves and windowsills, adding a nice green color into the room. The living room looks comfortable and homey compared to the state of the kitchen.

They pass two closed doors Bin assumes are the bedroom doors. A small crack in the first shows off a dark space, completely empty save for the end of a desk and a window. The second room is lit and Bin catches a swaying shadow on the floorboards of the hallway. He remembers the boy from before--Minhyuk, if he recalls correctly.

Dongmin opens the third bedroom door and gestures inside. “It’s my room, actually,” Dongmin says, looking at the unmade bed. “We don't have a spare room, and it would be rude to force you to sleep on the couch or room with someone. I'll just head over to Minhyuk’s.

“Bathroom is right next door,” Dongmin adds. “And I guess that's it. If you have questions you can ask me or Myungjun. Well, it's probably safer for you to ask me instead. Myungjun would probably trick you somehow.”

Bin sits on the bed hesitantly and drops his backpack to the floor. Dongmin moves out of the room, and Bin takes one more glance at the man. "Wait," he calls out. "I have some questions about... everything."

Dongmin retraced his steps and sits in his desk chair.

"Um," Bin pauses, "most importantly, what are you all doing? And why are you here?"

Dongmin turns the chair around slightly with his feet then answers. "Studying hybrids. Myungjun is doing most of the work. He calls himself a mad scientist, but really he's just a genealogist." Dongmin rubs his hands and continues. "Myungjun just managed to pull me along with his plans. Actually, he took me in."

Dongmin looks straight into Bin's eyes and the latter seems to have accepted the reality easily. "And Minhyuk?" Bin wonders.

"Same thing," Dongmin responds, running a hand through his hair. "Just different circumstances. Take it easy on him. He's just a kid."

After a beat of awkward silence, Bin speaks up again. "Its just you three? Do you guys ever go out?"

"Almost never," Dongmin hesitantly admits. "The Three of us have each other's backs, so it's not lonely."

Bin finds a hint of a lie in Dongmin's soft voice. Is Dongmin lonely in the midst of things? The way Dongmin looks away when Bin stares directly at him gives off a careful air around Dongmin, but it is all for personal reasons. Bin doesn't pry any further.

"What about Jinwoo?" Dongmin asks. "How do you know him?"

"Childhood friends," Bin answers. "I... don't think I should say anything else. That's all up to Jinwoo."

Dongmin's expression softens considerably. "Why did you stay with him?"

Bin stares at the floors, the way tiles intersect and cross. "I didn't want to stay at first.... But I have to protect him." This time, he lifts his head and looks Dongmin in the eye, ignoring the pink in the older man's face. "No one else would. So I did."

There is a strong determination in his gaze, the way it cuts through any facade. Dongmin realizes in that moment that Bin is completely different from the rest of them, comparing boldness. But Dongmin would recognize that fear for others' safety anywhere. Myungjun has it. Minhyuk has it. So does he. And Dongmin also realizes that despite he and Bin being completely different, they have the same goal. Something about that thought excited Dongmin, maybe because this time he could make a new friend. Or something. He couldn't tell. He is just glad that Bin is here now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment pls it makes me feel noticed


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